The mother of missing nine-year-old Shannon Matthews made an emotional plea for her daughter's return home yesterday.

Karen Matthews, 32, said: 'Mother's Day is a day when every mum wants her children around them. Today I don't want cards or presents, I just want my darling daughter home safely.'

In her statement, issued through West Yorkshire Police, Mrs Matthews continued: 'If you or anyone else knows where Shannon is, please think about my family this Mother's Day and bring my beautiful princess home where she belongs.'

There have been no positive sightings of Shannon since she left her school half a mile from her home in Dewsbury Moor, West Yorkshire, on the afternoon of 19 February.